Robin Frijns
2015 Beijing ePrix |driver = Robin Frijns |teams = MS Amlin Andretti |firstwin = 2019 Paris E-Prix |no = 4 |currentteam = Envision Virgin Racing}} Robin Frijns (born 7 August 1991 in Maastricht, Netherlands) is a Dutch racing driver who competes for Envision Virgin Racing in the 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship. Frijns would start the sixth FE season having picked up two wins in 2018/19, having joined the Virgin squad as a factory Audi driver as the team switched to Audi Sport's powertrains. Frijns' initially spent two seasons in FE in 2015/16 and 2016/17 with Andretti Formula E, although after several promising results the Audi backed Dutchman was dropped as BMW prepared to take over the team ahead of the 2018/19 season.'Di Grassi keeps his cool to win in Putrajaya', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 07/11/2015), http://fiaformulae.com/en/news/2015/november/di-grassi-keeps-his-cool-to-win-in-putrajaya.aspx, (Accessed 22/11/2015)'Nine manufacturers homologated for Season 5', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 21/03/2017), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2017/march/nine-season-5-powertrain-manufacturers-homologated/, (Accessed 22/03/2017) However, Frijns' return to the series with Audi powered Virgin in 2018/19 would prove highly successful, with the Dutchman claiming a maiden victory at the 2019 Paris E-Prix, en-route to fourth in the Championship. Background Having karted across Belgium and France, Frijns obtained his first drive in a racing car, joining the Championship of 2009.'Drivers' Club: Robin Frijns', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 2015), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/drivers-club/robin-frijns.aspx, (Accessed 17/09/2015) An impressive debut season saw him claim third in the title race and become the second highest placed débutante in the series' history. A second season saw him go two better and take the title, with the flying Dutchman also getting his first taste of at 2.0 level. Frijns moved to the for 2011, completing s stunning rookie season to beat future Formula One racer Carlos Sainz Jr. by over 45 points to clinch the title. Promotion to the full flavour followed for 2012, where the Dutchman once again tasted success at his first attempt, although in controversial circumstances. Accused of running the late Jules Bianchi off track at the final race, and causing an avoidable collision, Frijns was penalised 25 seconds, putting his title chance in doubt. However, with Bianchi in the wall, and Sam Bird failing to climb high enough in the points, Frijns escaped with the title. Testing Times Frijns was rewarded with a test for the Sauber F1 team over the winter of 2012, where he impressed enough to get a testing role for the new season. But, Sauber wished him to compete during the year, with the Dutchman obtaining a test for the DTM Championship with Mercedes. Despite an impressive display, the Stuttgart Squad had already filled their quota for the year, with Frijns ultimately ending up in the GP2 Series for the year. A win in his second weekend saw many expect the Dutchman continue his run of Championships, but Frijns would struggle throughout the rest of the season. Finishing the season in fifteenth, he moved to the Caterham F1 Team as their test and reserve driver, but would not get a chance with the team after they folded before the end of the season. He started 2015 in the , before getting the call to compete in Formula E. Formula E History Frijns' first taste of Formula E came during the 2015 Donington Test, with the Dutchman only recording a handful of laps in the troublesome Andretti car, until the team switched to the old SRT_01E for the final day. The Dutchman stated his intention to get into the Championship in the weeks following the test, with Andretti offering him a race seat for the 2015/16 FIA Formula E Championship.'Robin Frijns to race for Andretti', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 17/09/2015), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2015/september/robin-frijns-to-race-for-andretti.aspx, (Accessed 17/09/2015) The deal was signed and Frijns was partnered with Simona de Silvestro for the season opening race in Beijing, where the Dutchman scored his first point.'Buemi to the max in Beijing', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 24/10/2015),http://fiaformulae.com/en/news/2015/october/buemi-wins-swusp-beijing-eprix.aspx, (Accessed 25/10/2015) Frijns' natural talent then shone through at the 2015 Putrajaya ePrix, where the Dutchman battled to a maiden podium finish, despite using a year old car. It would be the the highlight of the season for Frijns, as he spent most of the rest of the season scoring minor points, although he remained a threat for the podium numerous times. Unfortunately for Frijns, the season would end in dismal fashion in London, with the Dutchman retiring from both of the races, both the result of accidents.'BUEMI WINS TITLE AFTER SPECTACULAR FINALE: VISA FASTEST LAP ENDS UP DECIDING THE 2015/16 FIA FORMULA E CHAMPIONSHIP', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 03/07/2016), http://fiaformulae.com/en/news/2016/july/buemi-wins-title-after-spectacular-finale/, (Accessed 04/07/2016) ATEC Advancement His impressive performances in season two saw Frijns retained by Andretti into the 2015/16 season, now partnered by relative FE veteran .'ANDRETTI RE-SIGNS FRIJNS FOR SEASON THREE: DUTCH ACE GETS CONTRACT EXTENSION WITH ANDRETTI', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 01/07/2016), http://fiaformulae.com/en/news/2016/july/andretti-re-signs-frijns-for-season-three/, (Accessed 08/07/2016) The pair would test the new Andretti ATEC-02 at the 2016 Donington Test, which, unlike the original car, proved to be both quick and reliable with Frijns the faster of the drivers. It would be a strong start to the season for Frijns in Hong Kong, the Dutchman fighting with teammate da Costa throughout the race to finish fifth and sixth, the Portuguese racer ahead.'Buemi holds on in Hong Kong', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 09/10/2016), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2016/october/buemi-holds-on-in-hong-kong/, (Accessed 09/10/2016) However, both would soon begin to struggle with the new Andretti, a lack of one lap pace meaning both qualified down the order in the next for rounds, neither picking up a point. Indeed, da Costa would go for the rest of the season without claiming a points finish, while Frijns himself had to wait for a disorderly race in Paris to claim his next points haul.'Buemi hands Renault e.dams emotional Paris win', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 20/05/2017), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2017/may/buemi-hands-renault-edams-emotional-paris-win/, (Accessed 21/05/2017) The lack of one-lap pace denied Frijns points in Berlin, the Dutchman running at the back of the field throughout. However, Frijns then managed to secure points in both New York ePrix, despite starting from sixteenth and nineteenth in two races, producing excellent fighting performances in both.'Bird flies high with New York double', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 16/07/2017), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2017/july/bird-flies-high-with-new-york-double/, (Accessed 17/07/2017) The Dutchman then inadvertently involved himself in the title fight in the first Montreal ePrix, colliding with at the start and damaging the Swiss racer's steering.'Di Grassi wins, Buemi disqualified', fiaformuale.com, (FIA Formula E, 29/07/2017), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2017/july/di-grassi-wins-buemi-disqualified/, (Accessed 30/07/2017) That minor collision for Frijns was not enough to deny the Dutchman eighth on the day, although he would round out the season outside of the points at the season finale. The second Montreal ePrix would prove to be Frijns' last with Andretti, who opted to drop the Dutchman in favour of da Costa and another BMW backed driver, despite the fact that Frijns had outperformed da Costa throughout the season.Scott Mitchell, 'Andretti couldn't keep Frijns due to Audi "complexities"', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 13/10/2017), https://www.motorsport.com/formula-e/news/frijns-andretti-bmw-audi-965215/, (Accessed 26/10/2017) Andretti co-team principle Roger Griffiths revealed that it was Frijns' relationship with Audi that effectively meant that the Dutchman had to leave the team, with BMW increasing their involvement with the team in 2017/18. A Virgin Re-birth After a year competing in the DTM championship with ABT Sportsline, Frijns would return to FE for the 2018/19 season to partner Sam Bird at Virgin Racing, following the team's switch to Audi powertrains.Nathan Hine, 'FRIJINS SET FOR FORMULA E COMEBACK WITH VIRGIN RACING', thecheckeredflag.co.uk, (The Checkered Flag, 02/08/2018), https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2018/08/frijins-set-for-formula-e-comeback-with-virgin-racing/, (Accessed 18/08/2018) Frijns and Bird performed well at the 2018 Valencia Test, and duly battled with the factory Audis at the season opening 2018 Ad Diriyah E-Prix, although both himself and Bird failed to score.'Race Report: Da Costa - 'We did it baby, we're back!', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 15/12/2018), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2018/december/race-report-saudi, (Accessed 15/12/2018) However, Frijns would impress in Marrakech after the new year, narrowly missing out on a maiden victory to Jérôme d'Ambrosio, having fought with the Belgian for first on the final lap.'Mahindra's d'Ambrosio made up with manic win in Marrakesh', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 12/01/2019), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2019/january/race-report---2019-marrakesh, (Accessed 12/01/2019) Frijns subsequently claimed fifth place in the 2019 Santiago E-Prix as teammate Bird claimed victory, before failing to score in a chaotic 2019 Mexico City E-Prix.'Madness in Mexico sees di Grassi clinch miraculous win in epic photo finish', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 16/02/2019), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2019/february/race-report-mexico-2019, (Accessed 17/02/2019) Yet, Frijns would bounce back to claim third in Hong Kong a few weeks later, albeit only after teammate Bird was relegated to sixth after a post-race penalty.'Bird victorious in furious battle for first on Hong Kong Harbourfront', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 10/03/2019), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2019/march/race-report-hong-kong-2019, (Accessed 11/03/2019) After a pointless race in Sanya, however, Frijns would make his bid for the title with an impressive display in Paris, having secured fourth in the Rome E-Prix. Pre-race rain ensured that the Circuit des Invalides was treacherous at the start of the race, with Frijns able to battle through to second in the early stages.'Frijns emerges victorious in frantic French E-Prix', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 27/04/2019), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2019/april/race-report-paris-2019, (Accessed 27/04/2019) A long battle with Sébastien Buemi followed for most of the race, with Frijns eventually emerging triumphant from their duel when Buemi picked up a puncture. Unfortunately for Frijns his hopes of building momentum from that win would be ended in the closing stages of the Monaco E-Prix a few weeks later, when Alexander Sims smashed him out of contention.'Vergne masters Monaco while Massa claims maiden Formula E podium ', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 11/05/2019), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2019/may/race-report-monaco-2019, (Accessed 12/05/2019) Frijns' title hopes subsequently came apart over the following three rounds, with a non-score in Berlin followed by retirements in Bern and the 2019 New York City E-Prix I courtesy of collision damage.'Buemi wins in New York but disaster for Champ Vergne extends title challenge', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 13/07/2019), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2019/july/race-report-nyc-2019, (Accessed 14/07/2019) Yet, having dropped out of the title fight Frijns would bounce back in the season ending New York City E-Prix II, barging past Buemi to claim the lead before easing away to claim a dominant victory.'Frijns wins while Vergne claims historic two-time Championship title in New York', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 14/07/2019), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2019/july/race-report-nyc-2-2019, (Accessed 15/07/2019) That win left Frijns in fourth in the Championship on 106 points, a point ahead of Mitch Evans who had started the race as a dark horse for the crown. Factory Future? Frijns was considered a serious contender to join the factory Audi squad throughout the 2018/19 season, until the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler squad announced that they would retain Daniel Abt. The Dutchman hence opted to remain with Virgin alongside Bird for the 2019/20 season, with the duo once again equipped with customer Audi powertrains. The pair would once again impress in the Pre-Season Test in Valencia, with Frijns setting the fastest time of all of the Audi powered drivers.Sam Smith, 'Formula E: Guenther Sets Fastest Lap of Valencia Testing', e-racing365.com, (John Dagys Media, LLC., 18/10/2019), https://e-racing365.com/formula-e/guenther-sets-fastest-lap-of-valencia-testing/, (Accessed 22/10/2019) Full Formula E Record Shown below are a series of tables outlining 's career in Formula E in statistical form. Formula E Entries The list below includes all of the teams and cars, as well as overall finishing positions for during their FE career: Career Results Below is a table showing 's full Formula E record. | | | | |15th| | | | |12th|45}} |11th|14th|11th|12th| |18th|18th| | | |13th|13th|24}} | |11th| |14th| | |17th|13th| | | |4th|106}} |} References Videos and Images: * References: Category:Andretti Autosport Drivers Category:Dutch Drivers Category:Drivers